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Tor Bejnar

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #150 on: August 08, 2014, 03:48:55 PM »
Yes, and it appears the area received 1/2 to over 2" of rain in the last week:
http://www.intellicast.com/National/Precipitation/Weekly.aspx?region=bfl
Arctic ice is healthy for children and other living things because "we cannot negotiate with the melting point of ice"

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #151 on: August 08, 2014, 07:36:46 PM »
Too little, too late?

"California debates new regulations for diminishing groundwater amid historic drought"

"Groundwater basins around the state would need sustainability plans in place by 2020, and those plans would need to be fully implemented 20 years later. Those plans could include fees and impose regulations on groundwater use, and the agencies in charge could appropriate surface water to replenish exhausted groundwater supplies."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/06/california-debates-new-regulations-for-diminishing-groundwater-amid-historic-drought
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Shared Humanity

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #153 on: August 10, 2014, 03:55:42 PM »

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #154 on: August 11, 2014, 10:35:07 AM »
Good news for this year and for the missipi area but not for California. The drough seems to accelerate, it will take some time but what I am seeing from the last ten year and the move of the jet stream annonced by Jennifer Francis tend to show that the drough may extend to Montana-wyoming-nebraska-kansas and the entire texas in the next ten years(may be even further...). (hope I am wrong)

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #155 on: August 11, 2014, 11:58:54 PM »

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #156 on: August 17, 2014, 09:52:40 AM »
Bad News For California: NOAA Lowers Chance Of El Niño To 65%, Predicts A Weak One
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/07/3468834/california-noaa-el-nino/

Get used to toilet-to-tap water, Californians told
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/07/california-drought-orange-county-toilet-to-tap-water
(That type of process use huge amount of energy, that does not help against climate warming...)(Dry toilets exist and they work fine, I have one)

Why heavy rains probably won’t do much good in drought-stricken Calif. (+video)
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2014/0806/Why-heavy-rains-probably-won-t-do-much-good-in-drought-stricken-Calif.-video


Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #157 on: August 19, 2014, 09:47:02 AM »
California Wildfire Near Yosemite National Park Prompts Officials To Order 13,000 Evacuation Calls
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/california-wildfire-yosemite_n_5690121.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #158 on: August 20, 2014, 08:19:45 PM »

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #159 on: August 21, 2014, 04:02:19 PM »
California Has Given Out Rights To Five Times More Water Than It Actually Has.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/20/3473775/california-water-rights-five-times/
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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #160 on: August 24, 2014, 10:59:29 AM »

Shared Humanity

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #161 on: August 24, 2014, 03:20:48 PM »
From link.....

"East Porterville resident Angelica Gallegos fought back tears as she described being without water for four months in the home she shares with her husband,, three children and two other adults.

"It's hard," she told The Bee. "I can't shower the children like I used to."

Farmworker Oliva Sanchez said she still gets a trickle from her tap, but dirt started coming out with the water about a week ago.

"I try to use the least possible. I'll move if I have to," she said."


Should they be considered climate refuges?

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #162 on: August 27, 2014, 05:49:32 PM »
What's behind California's historic drought?
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28930486

GeoffBeacon

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #163 on: August 28, 2014, 03:36:35 PM »
Laurent

"What's behind California's historic drought?"

Well. Just don't ask the BBC.  They use the term "new normal" so they don't have to mention climate change.   I did do TweetsToTheBeeb fo a while (http://www.brusselsblog.co.uk/tweets-to-the-beeb/) but gave up. I have also written to my MP complaining about the BBC and got the usual sort of answer.

I do wish one of the campaigning groups would take this on.

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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #164 on: August 28, 2014, 09:08:46 PM »
35-Year 'Megadrought' May Threaten Southwest Within Century, Study Finds
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/28/megadrought-southwest_n_5729082.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #165 on: September 02, 2014, 10:08:44 PM »

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #166 on: September 04, 2014, 09:24:33 PM »
It has come to this: stealing water from fire hydrants in the middle of the night.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/californians-stealing-water-hydrants-amid-drought/story?id=25229146
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Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #167 on: September 07, 2014, 08:35:07 PM »
Read a wonderful, enlightening adventure:  Kayaking the length of the "endangered" San Joaquin River -- including hiking a dry riverbed where the water disappears in the Central Valley.

http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/09/opinion/endangered-river-ctl/
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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #168 on: September 08, 2014, 10:30:58 PM »
Climate Change Ups Odds of a Southwest Megadrought
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-megadrought-southwest-17969

Mountain Forest Changes Threaten Calif. Water Supplies
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/mountain-forest-changes-threaten-water-supplies-17971

Battle Wages for California’s Groundwater Rights
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/battle-for-california-groundwater-rights-17956

Drought-Stricken California Makes Historic Move To Regulate Underground Water For The First Time
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/08/30/3477615/underground-water-regulation-california-first-ever/

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #169 on: September 13, 2014, 04:11:57 PM »
The San Jose, California, newspaper ran a story about the water difficulties at a local nudist camp.  And then this happened.

http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_26514043/los-gatos-nudist-colony-accused-stealing-water-from
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Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #170 on: September 13, 2014, 04:52:32 PM »
Lake Tahoe level is dropping to where it will soon no longer drain into the Truckee River.

http://m.kcra.com/news/tahoe-headed-for-one-of-its-lowest-levels-in-years/28020172
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Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #171 on: September 17, 2014, 02:24:28 AM »
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jbatteen

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #172 on: September 17, 2014, 05:13:52 PM »
Great read, thanks!

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #173 on: September 18, 2014, 07:49:26 PM »
Out-Of-Control Wildfire Doubles In Size In California As Governor Declares State Of Emergency
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/18/wildfires-grow-california_n_5842330.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green

solartim27

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #174 on: September 23, 2014, 05:46:46 PM »
FNORD

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #175 on: September 28, 2014, 08:19:21 PM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #176 on: October 01, 2014, 02:19:29 PM »
California begins a new water year with total reservoir storage at 36% of capacity.

Quote
"One of the reasons that agriculture hasn't done worse this year is because of the tremendous amount of groundwater withdrawal that took place," Cowin said. "That's essentially borrowing on tomorrow's future. We'll pay that price over time."

Even a normal rainy season wouldn't be enough to end the drought and refill reservoirs. And although the latest forecast from the federal Climate Prediction Center gives a 60% to 65% chance that El Niño conditions will develop this fall and winter, water managers know better than to count on it.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-water-year-20141001-story.html
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ritter

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #177 on: October 01, 2014, 07:52:29 PM »

Quote
And although the latest forecast from the federal Climate Prediction Center gives a 60% to 65% chance that El Niño conditions will develop this fall and winter, water managers know better than to count on it.
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-me-water-year-20141001-story.html

I am unsure that an el nino would do much anyway. If the persistent high pressure ridge continues to hang out off our coast, that extra precipitation will still miss us as it's pushed north. I'm definitely no expert on this though!

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #178 on: October 03, 2014, 02:17:26 AM »
Recent heavy rains made essentially no difference in California drought.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #179 on: October 03, 2014, 09:08:15 PM »
Smartphone apps and "drought shaming" on Twitter help stop outdoor water wastage.

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-water-waster-app-20141003-story.html
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Espen

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #180 on: October 03, 2014, 11:11:02 PM »
How a about a Oscar would that help?
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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #181 on: October 04, 2014, 12:56:16 PM »
With Dry Taps and Toilets, California Drought Turns Desperate
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/us/california-drought-tulare-county.html

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #182 on: October 07, 2014, 05:16:13 PM »
California water officials' residential water use is hardly the model of conservation they call for in others.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/investigations/California-Water-Officials-Drought-Conservation-278236801.html
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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #183 on: October 13, 2014, 05:58:35 PM »
California’s Drought Is So Bad, Even Its Hydropower Is Drying Up
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/10/07/3576715/california-drought-hydropower/

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #184 on: October 15, 2014, 04:33:06 PM »
@EricHolthaus: California has about a 1-in-8 chance of a wet winter. Continued drought looks increasingly likely, per latest models: http://t.co/z0t4huwNNt

http://mashable.com/2014/10/14/globe-records-warmest-september/
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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #185 on: October 18, 2014, 07:08:19 PM »

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #186 on: October 19, 2014, 07:23:08 PM »
'Water Cops' Hunt For Sprinkler Scofflaws As California Remains Parched By Drought
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/19/california-drought-water-cops_n_6010308.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #187 on: October 20, 2014, 08:01:19 PM »
Mosquito population infected with West Nile virus explodes in San Jose area, affecting birds and people.  Drought is eyed as a cause.

http://www.mercurynews.com/my-town/ci_26759079/west-nile-cases-surging-state-bay-area
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Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #188 on: October 21, 2014, 05:07:27 PM »
The Westlands Water District, in California's Central Valley.
Quote
Westlands and its wealthy farmers are exercising their considerable clout to maintain a flow of cheap water from the north despite a harsh truth. In all of California, there may be no worse place to practice the kind of industrial-scale irrigated agriculture that Westlands is famous for than the badly drained, salt-laden lands that make up roughly half the district.
But there are signs the area could cash in on a different industry:  solar power.

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-westlands-20141021-story.html#page=1
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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #189 on: October 23, 2014, 09:52:00 PM »

Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #190 on: October 24, 2014, 04:18:35 PM »
What Will Winter Hold for Drought-Plagued California?
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/weak-el-nino-calif-drought-winter-18222

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #191 on: October 25, 2014, 10:01:37 PM »
It's not just the lack of surface water, or the shallowness of wells.  Some groundwater simply cannot be used as is.

Quote
With surface water supplies decimated from the ongoing drought, more Californians are forced to use groundwater.

But groundwater is unsafe for nearly 800,000 residents, according to the state's water resources control board.

This problem is the longtime contamination from nitrates and arsenic.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102111669
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Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #192 on: October 27, 2014, 04:36:40 PM »
Quote
There’s a bleak inevitability to your work that, it seems like, captures what’s going on right now in California. Have you discovered any stories that give you hope?

Frankly, there’s not much hope. How do we accommodate this new reality? Farming is never going to go back, regardless of how much rain we get next year, to the way it was in the ’70s and ’80s. It’s a long-term era of scarcity.

California is much bigger than it was when these reservoirs were built, 40 or 50 years ago. There’s more water going to cities and the environment now. That boom era of California farming, I think everyone recognizes, is just a thing of the past.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/10/california_central_valley_agriculture_drought_and_climate_change_photos.html
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Laurent

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #193 on: October 29, 2014, 10:21:20 AM »
Corporate Greed Forces First City In California To Run Out Of Water
http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/25/corporate-greed-caused-city-california-run-water.html

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #194 on: October 30, 2014, 11:37:42 PM »
California's olive harvest:  also reduced due to damage caused by last December's cold snap.
Quote
Faced with a continuing drought, not to mention the ravages of the olive fruit fly, this year’s olive harvest is expected to start in a week or so, earlier than usual, and be about a third smaller than last year.
http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/California-drought-squeezes-olive-oil-makers-5846360.php
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bigB

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #195 on: November 01, 2014, 01:09:21 AM »
The attached image of the latest doppler radar forecast (for late evening Oct 31st) from The Weather Channel, suggests that a large portion of Southern CA is about to see our first decent October precipitation event since 2011. This will not help the drought of course, but it's still exciting and much welcomed nonetheless.

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #196 on: November 01, 2014, 03:06:06 PM »
California is continuing to get much needed precipitation today, including snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

bigB

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #197 on: November 01, 2014, 11:25:39 PM »
The attached rainfall map from the County of Santa Barbara, shows 24 hr rainfall totals measured (in inches) at various stations throughout the county from Oct 31-Nov 1, 2014. 90% of the rain fell between 8:30-10:00 pm on Oct 31, making it the highest amount of rainfall in a single day during the month of October, since 2010. I realize that in reality this single event doesn't mean much, but it does provide a small glimmer of hope.

Sigmetnow

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #198 on: November 02, 2014, 04:15:20 PM »
State water planning under a changing climate.
Quote
State officials released the plan just days before California voters weigh in on Proposition 1, a $7.5billion water bond pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown. If passed, the measure would authorize bonds for a range of water projects, including dams, groundwater replenishment, water recycling, flood protection and habitat restoration.

DWR’s water plan lays out 350 strategies aimed at boosting water supplies and improving conservation. Key among them is better connecting existing water systems. For instance, the plan calls for reconnecting rivers with their historic floodplains so that, when floods occur, the water can be held on the land to recharge groundwater wells.

In many cases, this would mean breaching levees. It also could mean difficult changes in land use, said DWR Director Mark Cowin.

“For many decades, one of the challenges we’ve had is that agencies that carry out responsibility for water management are not necessarily connected to the local agencies that are responsible for land use,” Cowin said. “That needs to change.”
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article3505269.html
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jai mitchell

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Re: CA Drought Emergency Declared
« Reply #199 on: November 07, 2014, 04:14:31 AM »
NASA declares California drought could threaten U.S. food supply.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/nasa-warns-california-drought-could-threaten-u-s-food-supply/5412228

NASA has also tracked serious aquifer depletion in “the North China Plain, Australia’s Canning Basin, the Northwest Sahara Aquifer System, the Guarani Aquifer in South America … and the aquifers beneath northwestern India and the Middle East,” as Think Progress notes. Parts of Northern China are also seeing their worst drought in 60 years.

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